If you had to do something different in 2018, what would it be?

27.  That’s how many days are left in 2017.  

If you are part of our community of leaders, you received my Friday’s encouragement challenge of GET READY!  It is a great time to reflect and plan for the next 27 days leading into January 1, 2018.

For my wife and her current role, there are a couple of phrases that I hear her state every year around this time --- “It’s CRUNCH TIME!” and 1/1 Readiness.  In her role, she tracks milestone tasks to assist with removing any barriers or potential risks to her team’s success.  With all of her tracking, she gets her team ready to execute an action plan starting on JANUARY 1.

We can do the very same thing together.  I am your readiness coach to help you get prepared for the New Year.

Please hear me out; I have heard it said that January 1 is not some magical, turn it on date.  And I couldn’t agree more.  But, there is something about having a clean slate of 365-days at the turn of a new year.

What are you doing right now to prep for 1/1 Readiness?  If you have not been preparing for the New Year, I have a great starting point for you.  Start by thinking about what can you DO DIFFERENT?  

Please do not wait until the Music City guitar or the Times Square Ball falls on 1.1.18.  What can you DO DIFFERENT even right NOW to get a jumpstart and start a new habit or action so that come 1/1, your do-different task(s) is well underway and you can build on that?

I think the following 2 quotes express very well the purpose of today’s post with you:

“If you want something you have never had, you must be willing to do something you have never done.” Thomas Jefferson

“If you want something different, you are going to have to do something different.”
Jack Canfield

ACTION STEPS:

1.    Block out at least 10 minutes to reflect.  Reflect during this dedicated time for the next 27 days.  Add an alert to your calendar; to your phone; write it on a post-it note and put it on your bathroom mirror.  Put it somewhere where you will see it and remember that you have dedicated this time to reflect.  Reflect on 2017.  

2.    Walk through the reflection prompts below and be honest with yourself.  You can write down your thoughts or if you prefer this to be a more private exercise by dictating your thoughts into a notepad on your mobile phone or in a password-protected document on your personal computer (just don’t forget your password).

3.    Reflection Prompts:

a.    What has been the most important lesson you have learned so far, this year?

b.    What one thing would you do differently?  Why?

c.    What are some ways that you can do something different to achieve different results in 2018?

I would love to hear from you.  Please feel free to share with me your responses to the action steps and questions outlined.  You can always email me directly if you need further guidance or insight on making 2018 your best year ever.

Bryant 

If you liked what you read here, subscribe here to get the latest ideas on success and leadership.